NYT Connections Answer and Hints for 16 Sep 2025 – Puzzle #828

Stuck on today’s Connections? Below you’ll find an explanation of the puzzle, quick definitions for every word, gentle hints, the exact category titles, a single “nudge” word from each group, and (hidden) the complete solution.
Use the table of contents to jump to what you need.

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What is NYT Connections?

NYT Connections is a daily word grouping puzzle from The New York Times.
Your goal is to sort 16 words into 4 groups of 4, based on hidden connections.
Categories range from simple themes to clever wordplay, with some words acting as red herrings.

The 16 Words

Here are the 16 words, sorted alphabetically to avoid spoilers:

Donut
Follow
Juror
Monitor
Month
Pen
Printer
Roger
Rose
Squid
Tattoo Machine
Track
Trix
Velveteen
Watch
White

Definitions of the 16 Words

Donut	Sweet fried dough confection; also comes in dozens.
Follow	To track or observe the actions of someone or something.
Juror	A member of a jury; typically 12 serve together.
Monitor	To watch closely or keep track of.
Month	A division of the year; 12 months make up a dozen.
Pen	A writing instrument that uses ink.
Printer	A machine that prints documents with ink.
Roger	“Roger Rabbit,” a famous cartoon character.
Rose	A flower; also referenced in “dozen roses.”
Squid	Marine animal known for producing ink.
Tattoo Machine	Device used to apply ink to skin.
Track	To follow the movements or progress of something.
Trix	“Trix Rabbit,” mascot of Trix cereal.
Velveteen	Refers to the “Velveteen Rabbit,” a children’s book character.
Watch	To observe; also a timepiece worn on the wrist.
White	“White Rabbit,” a character from Alice in Wonderland.

General Hints

One group relates to **keeping tabs** on things.
Another involves **items associated with ink**.
A set of answers are **famous rabbits**.
The final group fits under the theme of **“one in a dozen.”**

Category Titles

🟨 Yellow: Keep Tabs On
🟩 Green: One in a Dozen
🟦 Blue: Things with Ink
🟪 Purple: ___ Rabbit

One Word per Category

🟨 Yellow: Monitor
🟩 Green: Juror
🟦 Blue: Squid
🟪 Purple: Roger

Complete Solution

🟨 Yellow: Keep Tabs On → FOLLOW, MONITOR, TRACK, WATCH
🟩 Green: One in a Dozen → DONUT, JUROR, MONTH, ROSE
🟦 Blue: Things with Ink → PEN, PRINTER, SQUID, TATTOO MACHINE
🟪 Purple: ___ Rabbit → ROGER, TRIX, VELVETEEN, WHITE

Congrats if you solved it! Which group tripped you up the most?

Difficulty Today

Today’s puzzle felt moderate. The “Keep Tabs On” group was fairly direct,
but the “One in a Dozen” set was trickier and required lateral thinking.

Tricky or Misleading Words

ROSE — could easily mislead toward flowers rather than the “dozen” theme.
WHITE — ambiguous color, but here tied to “White Rabbit.”
PRINTER — might mislead toward technology categories instead of “ink.”

Strategy Tips

Always scan for pop culture references — “Trix” and “Velveteen” were clear rabbit hints once spotted.
Also, think metaphorically: “juror” as “one of 12” cracked open the “dozen” category.